Tuesday, 2 January 2007

Charlotte's Web

Websites, webpages, weblogs et cetera – the multitude of modern webs weaved are nowadays the undisputed modes of communication between fellow human beings; but what about the most primal forms of web – the spiders’? While many shrivel up in disgust at the thought of deadly horrors betiding innocuous insects entangled in the “foul black cobweb”, Gary Winick’s print-to-screen feature “Charlotte’s Web”, based on the classic children’s story of the same name by E.B. White, glorifies the vocation of our spinning arachnid, imbuing it with the simple, yet priceless, power of bridging human relationships with one another and with his surrounding nature.

A simple tale, the story tells of Charlotte, a garden spider, and her promise to Wilbur, a spring pig, that he will survive the abattoir to experience Christmas. Through this unlikely friendship, the power of words and love and innocence of mind surface as the family of barn animals join in with Charlotte’s mission to ensure Wilbur’s survival.

Having no qualms about idealising the entire situation, Winick creates an idyllic landscape, dreamlike in its very pacific nature; a countryside with overflowing abundance of flora and fauna, and autumns during which one’s visual threshold is filled with splashes of maroon and sunny yellow. This visual tour de force is worth every sight as one’s city-mind is transported to sedate harmony of the rural, where even the animals display an unbounded capacity for love and communal living.

Consequently, even the garden spider, which many may tremble at the sight of, is transformed into a gentle, life-like rendition of its real counterpart. The gentle vibrations of Julia Robert’s alto voice also lend to Charlotte a maternal quality, frequently perceived to be absent from this male-eating species. The delicacy in which the act of weaving is portrayed by Winick helps one see through the mechanical motion of reflex into the love and tenderness involved in building a home, which not only protects Charlotte, but also her friends.

On the whole, “Charlotte’s Web” is an adorable film if only for its visual placidity. The film score by Danny Elfman has also taken a more conservative stance and suits the simplicity that surfaces through the plot and images. Definitely not for the intellectual gymnasts, this film is nevertheless a fine rendezvous event for a family outing. And do stay for the credits, the art is simply enchanting!

Anon.

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